A Call for a New Stress Index for Malaysian Teachers: A Systematic Review of Studies of Stress among Teachers in Malaysia

Abstract

Stress is an issue that has been plaguing the teaching profession in Malaysia. Past studies have shown evidence that workplace stress has a detrimental effect in terms of the health of the employee, as well as the productivity and the economic stability of the country. According to the transactional view of stress, stress is manifested through the person’s interpretation of a stressor, and coping mechanism is deployed to handle stress. When coping mechanism fails, the symptoms of stress will start to occur on individuals. This study looked into stress from the transactional view and employed a systematic literature review that looks into stressors, coping mechanisms and the effects of stress. The systematic literature found 29 articles and the findings found that teachers stress is a critical issue in this country caused by numerous stressors. It was also found that studies concerning coping mechanism among teachers were scarce, and stress can have a detrimental effect on teachers’ physical health, mental health and professional development. The study concluded by suggesting the development of a new stress index among Malaysian teachers, to help future researchers, teachers, school administrators, and other related parties to look at stress from the full perspectives, rather than just focusing on one aspect of stress.